Urgent call to action to save the moratorium on whaling.

(2006-06-20)

This just in from the meeting of the International Whaling Commission (IWC)...

Dear Friends and Colleagues

I am writing to you as the 58th meeting of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) in St Kitts in the West Indies comes to a close. You have probably heard the news that for the first time since the moratorium on commercial whaling was put in place that a pro-whaling proposal was passed by majority vote on the 19th June.

The “St Kitts Declaration”, which was supported by Japan and the small developing nations that it has recruited into the IWC in recent years to do its bidding, states that the moratorium is unnecessary, whales are abundant and eating so much fish that they threaten the food security of coastal nations, NGOs are threatening governments and the IWC is failing to meet its obligations and can only be saved from collapse by a resumption of commercial whaling.

As the pro and anti whaling blocks within the organisation were equal this year, Denmark’s vote tipped the balance. Thirty two countries opposed the declaration, but Denmark’s support brought the vote in favour to thirty three. Denmark’s casting vote condemned the commercial whaling moratorium, and supported Japan’s attempt to ‘normalize’ the IWC, jeopardising the long standing work and future developments in conservation, whale watching and animal welfare, despite only five per cent of Danish citizens supporting commercial whaling.

Whalewatch is represented at the meeting and is working hard to keep animal welfare on the agenda and stop every attempt to overturn the moratorium. We believe that the people of Denmark should be ashamed of their government and appalled at the influence but a minority of whalers in its territories have had over it.

On behalf of Whalewatch I am calling on you to tell the Danish Prime Minister that Denmark’s vote on the St Kitts Declaration did not reflect the majority of the populations views and call on him to retract it. Please use the attached letter to contact him and direct your friends and family to http://www.whalewatch.org/en/denmark.asp#denmark to take action.

In the meantime, please visit the coalition’s website www.whalewatch.org for daily updates on the progress of the IWC meeting and if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Together for whales

Peter Davies
Director General
Coordinator of the Whalewatch coalition
WSPA